SBQ of the Week

I'm done with the flowers at least for now. :) Who would have thought my favorite flower (magnolias) would be such a pain in the rump to stitch?!



This week's (8/21) SBQ is:

If you had to choose, would you rather spend money on over dyed floss or hand-dyed fabric?

My answer to this one is easy....hand dyed-fabric (to be exact opalescent fabrics..lol). I generally just stitch with DMC. With that being said I do have to admit I will buy over dyed floss for small projects (usually monochromatic designs) but it is usually a visibly variegated color. I love the look of variegated designs!

This made me realize that when I stitch a piece it is usually floss or fabric and not both. Hmmm....could it be the scrooge in me? lol

Enjoy your day!

A Lot of Nothing

I want to thank everyone for their get better wishes. I am feeling a little better today. I had to go see Dr L yesterday as he wanted to make sure I wasn't getting dehydrated. Good news is I was a little dehydrated but not bad enough that I had to have an IV...whew! I admit I am a wimp when it comes to needles. Bad news is I have lost 7 pounds. That puts me below my weight I was before I was pregnant.

So for the past couple of day I have been pretty much a couch potato trying to take it easy. What does a girl do to keep herself occupied? Stitch, of course:) I have been working on ES and finished the satin stitch row with the lazy daisies (yuck!). I also finished the back stitching on the falcon box or as much as I could since I ran out of 3045. Right now I am working on the Pharaoh box stitching 1/1 on his face. I haven't had much of a problem with the 1/1 because this piece is on 28 count. Unlike TdM which is being stitched 1/1 on 32 count fabric.

And now for this week's SBQ:

For seasoned stitchers: Define a stitching term or acronym for new stitchers.

For newbies: What stitching term or acronym would you like defined?

I have been blogging for awhile so I know most of the abbreviations. Here are a few of my favorites:

*WTF-Waiting To Finish...actually that wasn't my first guess the first time I saw this one...lol

*BAP-Big A$$ Piece

*SEX-Stash Enhancing eXperience...again another one that made me stop and go...huh?!

SBQ of the Week

This week's SBQ was suggested by Christine and is:

How do you handle blended threads? Do you kit the blends up before you start a piece, or do you grab what colors you need and blend when the need arises? If you kit up the blends beforehand, how do you store them? Do you have another option for blends to share?

I am a grab and stitch kind of girl. I have tried to put the blends on a needle and label them but my floss always gets tangled into a massive mess!

Yesterday Mac got the packing removed from his ear. Whoo-hoo!! He also pulled the super glue off the incision behind his ear. Dr. L says everything is healing nicely. However, Mac's good ear has a bunch of fluid behind his eardrum. Dr. L is taking a wait and see attitude on that ear. Grrr...that is exactly why he had to have this surgery in the first place because we took and wait and see attitude! I seriously feel like banging my head against a brick wall!

I have been working on Snowman and Friends this week. I am considering working on this one till it is finished. I haven't had a large finish this year yet and I really would like to have a finish soon!

Enjoy your weekend!!

SBQ of the Week

This week's SBQ was suggested by Jennifer and is:

What is the most complicated piece you've ever completed?

Hands down it is Woodland Faerie by Teresa Wentzler for me! This one took me 2 years to finish this one. It was definitely worth every frustrating minute.:)

It was a quiet day for me today. Mac went back to school today with no problems. Which means I was able to pull out Egyptian Sampler and work on it for a little bit. Sorry no picture tonight because I want to work on it some more tomorrow.

SBQ of the Week

This week's SBQ was suggested by Terri:

What items do you consider essential to your needlework that you keep in your stitching bag?

First of all my stitching bag is just a regular mesh beach bag.

1. Current WIP's with thread, needle, and scissors for each WIP. (Currently I have 6 projects going)

2. 4 inch and 5 inch hoop

3. fabric marker

4. black pen

5. 6" ruler

6. measuring tape

7. Tweezers

8. Folder to hold all my WIP's patterns.

SBQ's and Shopping

This week's SBQ is recycled from January 4, 2005 and is:

After you stitch a pattern or kit, what do you do with it?

I am a pack rat when it comes to my crafts! I generally keep every single pattern I stitch with the exception of some I have passed on to friends.

This week's SBQ is:

When you stitch a pattern that you have downloaded do you print out the pattern or do you stitch directly from your computer screen?

I always print out my patterns to work from. I have to start in the center of a design (large or small!) so I have to mark on my pattern where I start from. I have tried to stitch from the computer screen and it has worked out okay but I am much more comfortable using a printed out sheet.

I was really, really hoping to be able to work on Topaz Fairie but that is just not meant to be this week. I stopped by my LNS to see if my Kreinik order had arrived. It did BUT (there is always a but) the owner had sold it to another lady earlier in the day. I was a little irritated as I didn't just order 1 or 2 spools...I ordered 12 spools!! grrr

So, I decided to bury my head in my stitching.:) I just love this piece!

I will probably work on this one some more today after I get the morning errands done. I have to go shirt shopping for Mac. After his surgery on Friday he has to wear button up shirts until his incision is healed. This ought to be interesting since Mac is a T-shirt kind of boy.

Have a great day!

SBQ of the Week

This week's SBQ was suggested by Rachel and is:

What is your cross stitch weakness? (i.e., What do you have to have when you see it, even if you are supposed to be on the Wagon?)

My biggest weaknesses are patterns and fabrics. I find it extremely hard to walk away from a mythical/fantasy themed patterns. If it has a dragon in it you can almost guarantee it won't last long at my LNS. LOL! As for fabrics, I have a serious love affair with the opalescent fabrics. Again, this is another thing that doesn't last long around me at the LNS. :)

I worked on ES today and finished the medallion and started on the other bird. I think my stitching mojo has fully returned as it seems to be calling me as I type.:)

Have a good night!

ES and SBQ of the Week

It is sad to say but I have hardly stitched at all this week. Partly because I have been busy but mainly because I am bored of my 2 WIP's (Topaz & Egyptian) right now! The answer to the problem for me is to start a new project. However, that is where my dilemma starts....what do I start on?!

Here is my progress on Egyptian Sampler for this week.

This week's SBQ was suggested by Loretta and is:

Do you have any projects that you have scrapped and started over? What made you start over from scratch?

I can think of 2 pieces I have started over from the beginning. One is Woodland Fairie by TW and the other is Geisha by Nanci Rossi. I actually started Woodland Fairie completely over 2 times before I finished her. The first time I instead of stitching 1/1 on her arm I stitched it 2/2. The second time I didn't have the pattern centered right and ended up cutting up the fabric I was so frustrated. Geisha I only started over once due to a kitty catastrophe.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

SBQ of the Week/ES

I have to say I am rather pleased with the progress I made yesterday on ES considering I had to frog out the upper corner and re-stitch it. Actually, the frogging went pretty smoothly because all the stitches were full stitches. Today I am going to work on the backstitching on the border.



This week's SBQ is:

Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that mentions it.) If not, when do you predict will be?

I have had a happy dance this year but I can't share anything about it yet as it is still trying to find its home. I can't wait to share it either, it turned out really cute!

It has been pretty quiet around here for the past few days. Mac is having a little trouble with his oral antibiotics. He is receiving such a high dose of antibiotics that it is making his stomach hurt and upset. The first night of taking them (Tues) he ended up throwing up all over his room. Bless him, he tried to clean it up and ended up making it worse! Yesterday's morning dosage went fine but I kept in touch with his teacher all day to make sure he was doing fine. However, last night's dosage was repeat of the first night. As if things weren't crazy enough, Mac has developed a bad cough on top of all of this. Dr. L seemed to think that the antibiotics would clear it up but I am not sure that it is helping his cough. So after listening to him cough all night long I kept him home today from school. I just hope I don't get sick!

SBQ of the Week

This week's SBQ was suggested by Outi and is:

What is your favorite past time while stitching? Do you just enjoy silence, listen to music/audio books or do you "watch" TV/movies? Do you have specific favorites you listen to/watch while stitching?

It depends on the time of day I am stitching as to what I am doing besides stitching. If I am stitching while the kids are at school generally I stitch and enjoy the silence. With 3 kids you learn to savor the quiet times! At night when everyone is home I usually "watch" TV as I am stitching. Most of the time I watch the History International channel but other shows I "watch" as I stitch are Monk, Psych, Charmed, Gilmore Girls, and George Lopez.

I have been stitching but I can't show a picture yet. I have been working on a small snowman design to have ready in case my Frosty Friends exchange doesn't arrive. I will work on it some more later this afternoon, at least, until this evening when I am going to start on Harvest Witch. I am really looking forward to this one!

Today looks like it will be a busy day for me. Allie going to a friends' house tonight for a birthday sleepover but I totally forgot about it yesterday and didn't pick up a present for M. Now, I have to run in and get a present for a 13 yr old and take it up to school to give to Allie. I am hoping to be there around lunch time so I won't interrupt her class, not that she would mind. LOL

I want to thank eveyone for their comments on Gracie. We are really enjoying her right now while she is small. Some have asked how big she will get when she is fully grown. She will be a large dog weighing anywhere in between 60 to 80 pounds. It will be fun watching her grow, especially when she gets bigger than Girly. Girly isn't really a small dog but isn't a large dog either. She weighs 40 pounds but she is only 13 inches from her shoulder to the ground! What can you expect when you combine a black lab and a rat terrier?!

Have a great weekend!

SBQ of the Week

TGIF!! It has been a busy week and I am ready for the weekend! I had another sick kid (Krissy this time) home yesterday so I didn't get a lot of stitching accomplished but I did manage to finish the stitching on my Valentine piece late last night. I will work on the finishing later today.


This week's SBQ is:

What was your favorite finish of 2007?

This one was easy! Woodland Faerie by Teresa Wentzler. :D

Have a great weekend! :)

SBQ of the Week

Today's stitching was all about backstitching. Like the other TW's I have stitched Egyptian Sampler has a ton of BS'ing! I am about 1/3 done with page 1. I am not sure if I will work on this tomorrow or switch to something else. I really need to get started on my piece for the Valentine exchange. I know how I want to finish but I still have to find a pattern first! I


This week's SBQ is:

Are you starting something new to celebrate the New Year or participating in "Guilt Free January?" If so, what are you planning on starting?

I started Egyptian Sampler as my official New Year start this year. I am also planning on trying to go back to a daily rotation. A daily or every other day rotation works a lot better for me when I am working on large pieces.

I will start a rotation once I have finished my Valentine exchange. I am still in the planning and gathering stage right now!

Here's Paddy

I finished the 3rd kitty in the Pam Kellogg series last night called Paddy. I really like the colors in this pattern. Three down and nine more designs to finish:)



This week's SBQ is:

Did you receive any stitching-related gifts for the holidays?

The gift I received this year was Renee coming for a visit and us being able to stitch together in person. I am hoping tomorrow to be able to make one last stash run to the LNS before the end of the year and that will be Mike's present to me. He picks such great gifts. LOL!!

Have a great night!

Exchange for Terry

I saw today on the SBEBB that Terry has received the bourse exchange I sent her. I stitched an Arm and a Leg from Raise the Roof Designs in the 2006 JCS ornie issue. I stitched it on some 32 count opalescent fabric. You might have guessed that the opalescent fabbies are my favorite. :)

It turned out just a little smaller than I had planned but it still turned out pretty cute.

This week's SBQ was suggested by Kathryn and is:

Have you ever helped anyone else learn to stitch? Have you ever helped anyone learn a new stitch or technique?

I have taught several people how to stitch. I showed my best friend how to stitch on a visit, I have taught all 3 of my children, I taught a friend in Mississippi, and lastly but not least I taught my brother. As for special stitches...I am doing good in learning and mastering them myself!

Possibility of Snow?!

I am sorry I didn't post a progress picture yesterday but I was having such a good time working on Topaz last night. As you can tell I have started the frogging yet. I have just decided to work on the fairie for awhile before I start ripping out her wing.



We finally have a forecast for a possibility of snow!! Okay, so it is only a inch that is predicted but I will take what I can get. If you don't know by now I love snow. I love to go outside when it is snowing and either play with my kids or my puppy dog till I am cold and then I rush in to make hot chocolate and curl up under a fluffy blanket to get warm. We don't have a fireplace otherwise that is where I would be getting warm! :)

This week’s stitching blogger's question was once again suggested by Nancy and is:

Do you do anything special to your threads before putting them through your fabric to make them more manageable?

When I use Kreiniks I do use a damp cloth to moisten the thread before I start stitching. It seems to help the metallics glide through the fabric easier. Other than that, I don't do anything special to my threads.

I am off to finish cleaning the house and then I will be working on Topaz again:) Have a great weekend!

Topaz Fairie and a SBQ

I finally decided to go ahead and work on Topaz Fairie yesterday. I am glad I did because I made some progress on her. :)

Today's SBQ was suggested by Nancy and is:

What tips would you give to a new stitcher to help her stitch faster and neater while still keeping it enjoyable?

To a new stitcher my main advice would be to always count, re-count, and count again! There is nothing more discouraging than having to rip out stitches due to a small miscount. Another thing I would advise is keeping the length of your threads at a reasonable length. If it is too long it will get tangled up causing knots and just a big mess. My last piece of advice would be ...do not be afraid to wash your projects! I seldom have a problem with the flosses bleeding but I generally stitch with DMC. When I do use overdyed threads I take more care in washing them in cool water so they don't bleed.

Danielle-I was planning on finishing Trimming the Trees into a top for a wood box. I messed up and didn't leave enough room on the top and bottom to allow for coverage with the batting. When I cut my material for some reason I thought I needed a 4 x 6 inch piece when in fact that was the size of the top of my box. Ooops! :)

Birthday Gift from Carol

It was a pretty good day today. I went ahead and finished the finishing on the needle roll today. However, the mailman brought me a package today that I would rather show you tonight. :) Carol sent me a little birthday gift. My birthday isn't until Thursday but I couldn't wait that long....lol. She stitched this beautiful biscornu for me!! I love it!!! Thank you so much, Carol!


Isn't the beading stunning?!

Today's SBQ is:

When you have to frog out stitches, do you reuse that thread or do you start over with a new strand?

99.9 % of the time I do not reuse the threads. I have noticed that the thread has little fuzzies on it and looks frayed.

Have a great weekend!

SBQ of the Week

I worked on WF like I said I was going to but it sure doesn't look like it!


Today's SBQ was suggested by Jennifer and is:

What are your favorite online stitching supply sources?

This week's question doesn't really apply to me since I generally get my stitching material from my LNS. I have used Down Sunshine Lane before and I highly recommend them to anyone! My order was processed and in my hands inside of a week.

.

OOPS!

This is such a cute finish! I will be finishing this one into a tote bag for trick or treating. I already have the fabric so if I have time tomorrow I will work on the finishing.


Today's SBQ is:

Would you ever stitch one of your BAPs a second time? (This does not include starting over because of mistakes, bad fabric, etc., rather stitching something from the first stitch for a second time.)

This is an easy one...No. All the BAP's I stitch are for me. However, if my mom or brother were to really want one stitched for themselves I would re-stitch it but that is the only exception.

SBQ of the week

This is the last week of vacation for my kids! Yay!! Come Monday morning it is back to getting up at 5:30 and getting all three off to school and then I will have some much needed quiet time to myself.

Today's SBQ was suggested by Jennifer and is:

How did you get started stitching? Was there a person that inspired you?

I had to think really hard on how to answer this one. Technically, I taught myself how to cross stitch while I was pregnant with Krissy and on bed rest which was 14 years ago. So at first, I would say that no one inspired me but if I think back to when I was 10 my grandma Gladys gave me a set of embroidered pillow cases to put in my hope chest. I remember her telling me the names of the stitches like lazy daiseys and satin stitches. I remember I was intrigued by the stitching but she died shorty after that so she didn't actually get to teach me.

I have been stitching on ATC but it doesn't look like it. I finished the back stitching on the castle and finished the back stitching on the dragon's neck and body. All I have left to finish the wings. I see a happy dance either this weekend or first part of next week!